What do Koalas Eat?

Koalas are Australian herbivores that eat only one type of plant. They cling to eucalyptus trees with their powerful paws and eat leaves all day long. Eucalyptus leaves have very little nutritional value and are actually toxic to most animals, meaning koalas have almost no competition for them. They compensate for the lack of calories in their diet by having very slow metabolisms. A typical koala will actually sleep for up to 18 hours a day!

Different koala communities prefer different species of eucalyptus trees, which include the swamp gum, blue gum, tallowwood and red river gum. When a koala decides it is time to make for a new tree, it will descend to the ground and walk on all fours to the nearest eucalyptus tree. Sometimes koalas will eat leaves from other trees as well, such as acacia trees and trees from the myrtle family.